There are numerous cannabis dispensaries in the city of Kingston, Ont.
As of Sept. 15, another dispensary opened itss doors in the Limestone City — only this one isn’t selling cannabis.
Shroomyz is a store that sells psilocybin mushrooms, also known as magic mushrooms.
Currently, magic mushrooms are illegal in Canada.
An employee of the store agreed to speak to Global Kingston, with the agreement of Shroomyz manager, on the guarantee of anonymity because of potential legal implications.
“We are remaining anonymous on camera and in person because of the previous shutdowns in Toronto or Ottawa,” said the employee.
“Whoever’s in here would be the one charged; any connected names would be the one charged based on previous accounts of other mushroom shops being shut down.”
In an email to Global News, Kingston Police said they are aware that Shroomyz is operating in the city, but declined to comment further on the situation.
The employee says the store is taking precautions similar to cannabis shops to ensure their product doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.
“I don’t think we’ll have much issue here. We have a solid identification process so we can verify the age of the customers that come in,” said the store employee.
The store entrance is also locked and potential customers have to be buzzed in to enter.
“We will see them on the cameras outside the shop before they’re even let in. If they’re obviously with children or young people we will not let them in because no kids are allowed in this store,” said the employee.
In a statement to Global News, the Toronto Police Service says they are more concerned about the trafficking of illegal drugs that lead to overdose deaths.
That being said, there have been several raids recently on magic mushrooms shops in Toronto, Hamilton and Montreal.
Whether Shroomyz in Kingston will be allowed to continue to operate or shut down isn’t clear with Kingston Police remaining tight-lipped about the dispensary.